Vehicular tail-light frontal indicator.



G. E. KILBURN.

VEHIGULA-R TAIL LIGHT FRONTAL INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED D110, 6, 1912.

Patented June 9, 1914.

H15 v f kzl y GEORGE EDWARD KILBURN, OF BRIGHTON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

VEHICULAR TAIL-LIGHT FRONTAL INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 5,.1912. .Serial No. 735,132.

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnoncn EDWARD K11.-vBURN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, &c., residingat Brighton, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicular Tail- LightFrontal Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Vehicles, including motor cars using tail lamps have been provided withdevices for enabling the drivers to know without seeing the lampswhctherthe lights were burning.

My invention is one for that purpose, and includes improvementsovercoming disadvantages incidental to previous constructions. i

I find that whilemirrors are theoretically useful they are notpractically so if theirnumber is considerable or if they become dirtcovered, and I provide a construction by which a single mirror suflices,or in modified form two mirrors. Owing moreover to the great tendency ofall mirrors, lamp windows, and glass panes near the road to becomecoated with mud or dust, I provide special mud and dust excluding meanswhich will prevent the light to be reflected being obscured. I find thatthe best position in which to place a light conveying tube from the taillamp to the front of the vehicle or car is under the body (or chassistop) where it will not be in the way, and may be out of sight. I findthat the safest and most advantageous position in which to have thetelltale pane for the driver or chauffeur to keep in view is in front ofhim, let into the sloping or flat floor or wall in the base of hiscoi'npartment. The construction will be adjustable to suit differencesin the builds or styles of motor cars or vehicles, and adjustment of themirror which throws the light upon the tell-tale pane is provided for.This pane is of ground glass, or other convenient material, protected bya grating, or wire work of any suitable kind at will.

In the drawings herewith construction which is preferred is illustrated,and a modification of parts of it, to provide for the utilization ofthose tail lamps which when in position are not provided with a window Fig. 3 shows on a larger scale the front part of my construction, partlyin vertical sec tron; Figs. 4 and 5 show respectively a plan new, and aview from the front looking to Patented June 9, 1914.

ward the rear at the tail lamp, these views being partly sectional andalso on the larger scale.

In these views 1 is a vehicle or car body; 2 a sloping front wall orfloor in the drivers compartment, marked 3. 2 shows a flat floor; at isa frame or chassis of a vehicle or car; a tail lamp; (3 a tube extendingforwardly from the lamp to a reflector box 7 which is adjustable, andcontains an adjustable reflector 8, and has a branch tube 9.

Tubes 6 and 9 may be telescopic or suitably I made of desired length. Ajoint 10 between tube (3 and box 7 allows rotation of the latter tobring tube 9 and its tell-tale pane 12 to any desired position, and asis seen in Fig. 2 the said pane need not be set vertically above tube 6.

It may be found necessary in order to suit the build of car to which theinvention is applied that the tell-tale pane be located to someparticular side of the vertical position. The pane is held in a casinghaving in some cases a ball and socket joint 19.

The rear 11 of tube 6 is provided with a dust excludcr as a bell shapedsleeve 14 which may be wholly or partly of flexible material or rubber,with the front fitting over tube end 11, and the rear enlarged open endpressed against or near the lamp and thus excluding dust from the panethereof. A pane is ordinarily provided in rear end ll.

Light from the lamp will pass along tube (3 to reflector or mirror 8, bywhich it is thrown upon tell-tale 12. To allow of mirror 8 beingadjusted, the end of box 7 is a door of removable plate 17; and the deepmirror frame 15 (which may have a handle 18) is held by a series of setscrews 16 hearing on any suitable parts of the said frame, andprojecting through box 7. Hence according to the setting of branch 9 themirror will be adjusted until it reflects light properly on glass 12.

In the modification, 19 is a side window of lamp 5, and 20 a reflectorheld in a casing or box 24: made of any suitable matehousing rial andset close to the lamp to exclude dust. This casing has a front ,end 21(with or without a glass ane filling its openin 22). Into or over theend 21 there is fitte the rear of a tube 23 which may be of rubber orflexible material and is connected adjustably to the rear 11 of tube 6;thus not only is dust excluded, but the light reflected from mirror 20will strike mirror 8. Mirror 20 may at will also be made so as to allowsome side light to pass through it. Box 24 indsome cases is riveted orfixed to the lamp 31 e.

The straight tubing 6 which conveys' light under the car body directfrom the lamp or reflector 20 forwardly to box 7 is supported by anysuitable means (not shown) as brackets on the frame or chassis. I

I may omit some of the details described in suitable cases while stillretaining some,

of the matter claimed hereinafter.

The four screws 16 shown enable each pair of oppositely set screws to beadjusted to hold mirror casing 15 in turn during adjustment. All thescrews are tightened after adjustment.

Having described this invention, claimed by Letters Patent is 1. Thecombination with .a, vehicle lamp, of a' tube for conducting rays oflight emitted from said lamp, a housing provided at the opposite end ofsaid tube, a reflector arranged 'insaid housing for intercepting therays conducted through said tube, a second tube connected with said forconducting the reflected rays therefrom, and a light-transmitting caprevolubly mounted over the free end of said second tube and providedwith an inclined head adapted to constantly change its plane what is ofposition when said cap is revolved whereby 'said head may be made to fitdifferent styles of foot-boards.

2. The combination with a vehicle lamp, of

a tube for conducting rays of light emitted from said lamp, ahousing'provided at the opposite end of said tube, a reflector arrangedin said housing for intercepting the rays conducted through said tube, asecond tube connected with said housing for conducting the reflectedrays therefrom, a lighttransmitting cap, a universal joint forconnecting said cap to the free end of said second tube, an inclinedopen head on said cap adapted to assume different planes of posi tionwhen the cap is moved through said universal joint to accommodate thesame to various types of foot-boards, and a glass closing said headthrough which the reflected rays of the vehicle lamp are visible.

3. The combination with a vehicle lamp, of a tube for conducting rays of1i ht emitted from said lamp, a housing provi ed at the opposite end ofsaid tube, a reflector arranged insaid housing for intercepting the raysof light conducted through said tube, a second tube connected with saidhousing at an angle to the vertical and for conducting the reflectedrays therefrom, a light-transmitting cap, a universahjoint between saidsecond tube and cap for connecting the same together, an inclined openhead on said cap adapted to assume different planes of position when thecap is moved through said universal joint to accommodate the same tovarious types of footboards fa glass closing said; head through whichthe reflected rays of the vehicle lamp are visible, and a gratingcovering said head' and secured to the inner face of the foot-board.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE EDWARD KILBURN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. Bna'r'rm, BEATRICE M. Low.

